Arriving for Work
Sarah was a non-native English speaker who had recently started working at an international company. She had been taking English lessons for a few years but was still nervous about speaking the language in a professional setting. One morning, Sarah arrived at work early and was the first one in the office. She walked to her desk, where she saw a note from her boss. The note read, "Sarah, I'm counting on you to lead the presentation at the meeting today. You're the most qualified for the job. See you at 9 am." Sarah's heart sank. She had never led a presentation in English before and was worried about making mistakes. However, she knew she had to face her fear and do her best. She spent the next hour reviewing her notes and practicing her pronunciation. As the other employees arrived, Sarah took a deep breath and walked into the meeting room. She introduced herself confidently and began the presentation. At first, Sarah stumbled over a few words, and her voice shook with nerves. But as she continued, she gained more confidence, and her English began to flow more naturally. To her surprise, the audience was engaged and asked thoughtful questions throughout the presentation. Sarah even received compliments from her boss and coworkers after the meeting. Feeling proud of herself, Sarah realized that her hard work and dedication to learning English had paid off. She had overcome her fear and had succeeded in a professional setting.